Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Advisory Committee

In 1992, a grassroots group of professionals and consumers created the Iowa Newborn Audiology Committee. They felt that Iowa infants and toddlers with hearing loss were not being identified as early as possible and thus missed out on meaningful language input during the critical period for language learning. The group approached the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) in 1994 for assistance in meeting the need for early detection of hearing loss and entrance into early intervention programs for hearing-impaired children.

Iowa established a Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee which later became known as Iowa Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee. The committee has representation from different facets of the health care community including the Iowa Hospital Association, private practice audiologists, pediatricians, family practice physicians, and otolaryngologists. The committee also includes representation from the deaf community, parents of children with hearing loss, advocates, Early ACCESS (IDEA, Part C), Area Education Agencies, and other stakeholders that are affected by or involved with newborn hearing screening. The committee was designed to build partnerships and advise EHDI staff as we moved toward establishing and implementing project goals. The committee has been and continues to be an integral part of the EHDI system.

Meeting Schedule

The EHDI Advisory Committee typically meets in the following months: January from 9 a.m. until 12 noon by ICN. The committee then meets in April, July and October from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at a location in Des Moines. For the next scheduled meeting date, time, and location please contact Early Hearing Detection and Intervention at (800) 383-3826.